I have loaded HRD, the June 2012 version, and have tried to use it on three different XP machines I have in stock. It has reacted differently on each machine, all bad. On one it BLUE screens, on another nothing will save. Marco changes, logbook settings, nothing, and the last PC, well, it just does whatever it wants.

I don't find the website all that helpful.

Is HRD in the middle of a cycle and improvements are coming? For those of you who use HRD successfully, that is, you successfully edit and save MACROS, LOG ENTRIES, interfaces work between HRD, Logbook, and DM708, QRZ lookups when entering call sign into log and all that good stuff, I want to here from you. What is your hardware specs?

One thing I notice is HRD June 2012 release loads 'C' or 'C#' 2010 modules. That may be a bit much for my three XP machines but I really think my machines are pretty good.

The website is for peer to peer support. Phone and email support was Jon and I is only by sunscription.

1. On the blue screen, do you have a prolific chipset2. We are working on bug fixes and yet another free release.. we want those as close to gone before 6.03. If your macros etc arent saving, your "simon brown, HB9DRV" folder may be read only. 4. The VS 2010 C runtime doesnt take up much space. it's just DLLs for the C/C++ runtime (HRD id written in C++, not C#)

Thank you for confirming additional updates. I've been looking forward to v.6, but was very disappointed in the recent v.5 update, enough so that I've withheld paying for the upgrade until there's a clear indication that it won't have the same types of critical and pervasive bugs this latest build has. I'm glad you're committed to resolving v.5 bugs before moving on to v.6. Doing so will help ensure I and many others remain and become paying customers.

After nearly a year absence from HF digital for many reasons, I recently began to renovate the shack and in the process trashed the operating system on the shack computer. A reformat and reinstall of XP, ser pack 2, got me going again. OK, time to reinstall HRD. New Sheriff in town. Simon's gone. Ver 6.0 to be out soon. Use 5.23 until then. Modest cost soon to come (about time, I'd say). Ver 5.23 installed. Program crashes on startup. Not even a splash screen. Is XP no longer supported? Do I go back to the most recent copy of HRD I still have from Simon (5.06, build xx36, or some such). Do I go to FlDigi? What's up?

Well.... Cheap doesn't enter into it. I have been using microcomputers since the Kim 1 days, any my experience with Microsoft operating systems has been, well, unhappy at times. XP was, and is, a solid system. Vista.... I gave away a Toshiba laptop only a few weeks old because of Vista. Toshiba had designed the machine around Vista, and drivers for much of the system were unavailable for XP. Vista was DOA. I now use mostly Apple stuff. Computers are a tool. Don't want my hammers to take five minutes to be ready to use, five minutes to put away, and turn BLUE for no apparent reason, refuse to drive nails, and blame me... Maybe Win 7 is a better experience. Don't know. Don't really care. My original question was whether HRD for Windows had dropped support for XP. Don't recall asking for opinions on whether I'm "cheap"...

If I were you I would go back to the last "Simon" version.It seems to run fine on XP and Win7, at least in my experience.The version I am referring to is HRD version 5.0 beta build 2893.

Give that a try, see if it is stable, and then make your decisions from there.

Some wise guys describe programming as the process of adding bugs to working software.As a programmer, I am very good at this process.

The "new" HRD will live or die based on its utility, especially the pay for play version.The risk and pressure is now on the new owners to keep this once free popular software alive.

Most of the software I use from Adobe to 3D development programs work under XP and Win7.This should be the aspiration of most software - a clean transition without alienating your user base.In my opinion, if your software is so fragile that it breaks badly with OS upgrades, you need to re-evaluate your programming paradigm.

Rob,Thanks for the reply. I do think I'll reinstall the last "Simon" version I have, and do a wait and see from there. Though not a Programmer by profession, I have done some fairly elaborate programs in past years. In early 1995, I wrote a GUI interface program to run on Win 3.11, to control, point and track the Powell Observatory 30 inch fork/equatorial mounted Newtonian. The program was in service there for 16 years! Shortly after we put it in service, some wag asked why we hadn't written it to run under Win 95. I told him it hadn't been released yet, and if he wanted to rewrite the code, be my guest. He declined. I have no problem using tools that still work even when a new tool comes out. Don't own a Fiberglas handled hammer :-). The one I have never turns blue :-)

Most of the software I use from Adobe to 3D development programs work under XP and Win7.This should be the aspiration of most software - a clean transition without alienating your user base.In my opinion, if your software is so fragile that it breaks badly with OS upgrades, you need to re-evaluate your programming paradigm.

If an application's architecture is not both modular and resilient, attempts to correct defects will all-too-often create new defects -- the all-too-familiar "two steps forward, one step backward" dance.

If significant architectural improvement is required, it's best to explicitly describe the desired architecture, and then move toward it in an incremental set of steps, rather than all in one "big bang". This permits course adjustments based on feedback, and keeps users in the loop.

After nearly a year absence from HF digital for many reasons, I recently began to renovate the shack and in the process trashed the operating system on the shack computer. A reformat and reinstall of XP, ser pack 2, got me going again. OK, time to reinstall HRD. New Sheriff in town. Simon's gone. Ver 6.0 to be out soon. Use 5.23 until then. Modest cost soon to come (about time, I'd say). Ver 5.23 installed. Program crashes on startup. Not even a splash screen. Is XP no longer supported? Do I go back to the most recent copy of HRD I still have from Simon (5.06, build xx36, or some such). Do I go to FlDigi? What's up?

I think your query as to the Prolific chipset was in your response to the problems related by the original poster. My references to "blue hammers, etc. is a general reference to Micrsoft, not a symptom, as related by the original poster. As for my experience, the machine is a Dell. Rig control is via the single original serial port. There is no (infamous?) Prolific chipset involved. As for the Service Pack 3 issue, I was not aware that was a system requirement for the new product. I do not recall seeing a minimum system requirement statement on youR website. I may have missed it, of course. I fully realize the magnitude of your undertaking, and have no problem with your group being compensated for your efforts. I don't know how Simon did it as a free product for as long as he did. Perhaps some of the grousing people are engaging in could be avoided by a clear statement of minimum system requirements on the download page? You have clearly answered my question. An upgrade to SP 3. Thank you, and best of luck.

Yes, SP3 is the earliest. I'll get Erik and Erin to add that to the web page.

And yes, it's nuts.. couple hundred emails a day, coding, managing. It's a real company and HRD took of so fast! I didnt expect as many hams to buy early as did.. wow...

It shows the majority of hams do support their own.. and thats nice to see. And Mike, Randy and I have been able to hire people and pay them a decent wage. Job creation, isnt that what small busines is all about?

Good answer. I'll install SP3 on the shack machine. You guys seem like you are trying hard to make this take off. I'll be happy to sign up and help support your efforts with my purchase. Good attitude on your part.

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